Just Another Day in Apocalyptolopolis.

The adventures of the Super Heroes and Villains in the Unfortunate City.

AKA: Wait, What?

Reports of various crimes are beginning to come in – bank robberies and jewelry store heists, with several new villains as the perpetrators. One robbery in particular was brutal to the extreme, and left several murders in its wake. Police have already mobilized various “freelance” superheroes to defend various key buildings, and are encouraging financial institutions to keep as little cash in their buildings as possible.
Authorities have been strangely silent on the identities of the robbers, but if the aftermath is any indication, they are definately super-villains.

Newsflash! Missing Officer Sparks City-wide Apprehension!

Ted Damson, Evening 6 News:
“More tragedy today, as the Superhero known as the Shade is reported missing. Called out to a disturbance in his precinct, He reportedly radioed back to the station saying that the had taken care of the situation. However, sources say that he did not return to his residence, and has missed two days of work. Normally this would not be newsworthy, but in the wake of other missing superheroes, and in light of the fact that he has not missed a scheduled day of work in nearly a decade, Officers are growing concerned. Though we have been assured that top men are investigating, police are also asking for help from the public. If anyone has knowledge of The Shade’s whereabouts, they are to report it immediately to local authorities.
This news does not bode well to the average man on the street, with responses to the news ranging from worried tears to concerned prayers. City officials are encouraging the public not to panic, however, and advise the public to let Law Enforcement and local Superheroes take care of the situations that they were meant for.”

Newsflash! Superhumans Melee on Mall Rooftop!

This is a special report from News 6:
“Commander Honeybadger, a known Superhero serving the citizens of Apocalyptolopolis, is missing, and feared deceased tonight, following a short and brutal battle on the roof of one of the city’s shopping centers. His opponent’s identity is currently unknown, but was clearly no mere human, and carried strange technology (doubtless the reason he was able to match the Commander). The fight took place over six or seven minutes, the close of which was fought out of sight of the traffic chopper that happened to witness the event, and the villain emerged from cover shortly after, and fled the scene. When police arrived on scene, aside from the minor property damage done, no trace of either combatant remained.”
“Bleak news for the citizens of Apocalyptolopolis, Jan.”
“It is indeed, Ted – We all ought to remember the Commander tonight, and hope that one of the city’s heroes has not been defeated.”

AKA: Where'd they go?

After leaving the docks, the party became aware that two of their member were in a massive automotive accident. The police scanner reported a massive accident between a motorcycle and an SUV. None of the people involved in the collision remained there, but the wreckage of the motorbike is definitely the one belonging to CareBear and Domina…

AKA: Principled vs Scrupulous vs Unscrupulous.

Alignment is a funny thing. And at no time was this more clear than over the past couple days in Apocalyptolopolis.
Some answers regarding Chiang Six and Mr. Chin seemed to be found when the party started to leverage their knowledge, skills, and positions toward solving the mystery.

Sargeant Shades interrogated (read: treated with respect) one of the perpetrators, and heard a first hand account of the interaction that gave the bank robbers super powers. Some of the information gathered included:
-The location of the meeting that gave the group powers (one of the warehouses at the docks)
-The name of the gang that met with Mr. Chin
-That the gang was planning on solidifying their base in the south of the city

Solarus ran a search on the names, and with the help of several others in the party, found several references to the two names together:
-An ancient emperor (Chiang) and his advisor (Chin)
-A Korean energy drink (Chiang) and its CEO (Chin)
-A legendary dragon (Chiang) and the hero who defeated it (Chin)
-A familial name (Chin) given to orphans by an ancient order of monks (Chiang)

The party decided to investigate the dock warehouses, and after an extended bout of planning, Anonymous decided to just infiltrate the compound. After sneaking throughout, he found a group meeting inside one of the buildings, armed with semi-automatic weapons and having a conversation. After much (read: overmuch :)) deliberation, the group was torn on a matter of the law. One group decided to storm the compound and interrogate the suspected criminals, and the other (Sargeant Shades & company) decided to follow the group inside the warehouse at a later time and see what evidence they could unearth.

After lurking about the compound, the party was alerted to a call made to the police – that there was a suspicious group lurking around the grounds of the dock warehouse..

The group eventually saw the virtue of not engaging the police, and decided to leave.
To be continued..

AKA: How our heroes first met

Pay day!
And our heroes just happened, by some providence, to be in the same place at exactly the same time (First Regional Bank). Nothing about the day seemed out of the ordinary, but out the blue a motley crew of hoodlums barged in to the bank and began shouting and threatening the people present. It quickly became clear to the group that while they definitely had super powers, they were relatively new to their use, and uncoordinated as a group.

A fierce battle broke out between the would-be-thieves and some brave and exceptional souls who came to the defence of the good citizens of Apocalyptolopolis (or to that of their own money). And though many deadly attacks rained down on both sides, the defenders came through – without losing a single number of their group!

When the metaphorical dust of the battle had died down, the police had arrived, and the criminals had been shipped off to prison, it was an unspoken impression shared by all present that this had been a momentous occasion; something profound had occurred – the formation of the city’s newest super-team: (Still need a group name!) :)

What happened in the aftermath was stranger still, though.

Each of the criminals, upon questioning, were found to have a sealed letters on their persons which, when opened, read as follows:“Honorable Sir,
I offer you powers to thwart your enemies. You may select one ability. Then you will meet with my assistant, Mr. Chin, and drink a special tea. It will fill you with the power you have chosen, and the knowledge to use it. This power will remain with you for a period of six days.

Soar without Wings – $1 million
Skin of the Gods – $2.5 million
Man of Metal – $3 million
Man of Stone – $2.5 million
Man of Shadows – $2.2 million
Dragon Strength – $1.2 million
Master of Flames – $3.2 million
Imperviousness to Flame – $1.3 million
Eyes of Calamity – $1.5 million
Become the Unseen – $2.5 million

Chiang Six"

None of the criminals seem to have any recollection as to how they came by these letters, and none remember planning the bank robbery. What is more disturbing, is that apparently one of the letters was picked up by one of the local news outlets, and is mentioned (though not explicitly read) as part of the story covering the attempted robbery.